The Sinfonietta goes back to its roots as a mixed ensemble of strings and winds in a program of great breadth and vitality. Benjamin Britten’s Op. 1, not coincidentally entitled “Sinfonietta,” was featured on our very first program in January 2009. The Sinfonietta takes up this lively work again alongside nonets by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu and Italian classical pianist and Beethoven-contemporary, Muzio Clementi. Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue (in an arrangement by Mark Mandarano) rounds out what will be a virtuosic and uplifting program.

The Sinfonietta of Riverdale’s latest digital download has been released by Arabesque Records.

Music by Richard Wagner and J. S. Bach

Theodora Hanslowe joins the Sinfonietta of Riverdale in a performance of two songs from Richard Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder (in a world-premiere arrangement by Mark Mandarano). And the strings of the Sinfonietta perform Bach’s Ricercar from the Musical Offering (arr. Helmut May) and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (arr. Eugene Ormandy).

More music performed by The Sinfonietta of Riverdale is available on iTunes and Amazon. Hear the Sinfonietta perform music by 3 selections by French composers, released by Arabesque Recordings in 2011.

We need your support!

The Sinfonietta of Riverdale is a non-profit organization. Only a part of our operational budget will be covered by ticket sales. We rely on the generosity of our supporters to help us bring this world-class music to our neighborhood. Please consider making a donation.

The Sinfonietta is a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Checks made out to “Sinfonietta of Riverdale” can be mailed to: PO Box 177, Bronx, NY 10471. Credit card donations can be made by clicking the button below.

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About the Sinfonietta

Founded in 2008 by Artistic Director and Conductor Mark Mandarano, The Sinfonietta of Riverdale is a distinctive ensemble—large enough to perform chamber symphonies and small enough that each of its world-class musicians is a featured soloist. With a repertoire that extends from Bach to the present day, its reputation for fine musicianship and stimulating programming has been deemed “Off-the-hook fabulous” by Time Out New York, and as offering “Some Big Music for Little Riverdale” by The New York Daily News. “High culture has flowed northward into the Bronx,” concluded The New Yorker. The ensemble has performed the music of world-renowned composers, most notably Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Corigliano and Ellen Zwillich, who have attended its concerts; it has commissioned works from leading young composers, including Roger Zare, David Bruce, Alan Fletcher, Byron Adams and Oliver Caplan. The Sinfonietta’s most recent recording of works by J. S. Bach and Richard Wagner was released by Arabesque Recordings in September 2014; its debut release, featuring music by Debussy, Honegger and Massenet, was released in the fall of 2011 and both are available for download from iTunes and Amazon.

The Sinfonietta seeks to enhance the artistic environment of Riverdale and the surrounding community by presenting great classical and modern music in our own neighborhood. We also serve as an educational resource by presenting children’s concerts and by collaborating with local schools and youth organizations.

Music for Strings and Harp, and Serenades concerts take place at 2:30pm at:

Riverdale Temple

Tickets are $35 ($25 for seniors and Riverdale Temple members, $15 for students).

About the founder and artistic director

Mark Mandarano enjoys an international career as a conductor. He made his debut with the New York City Opera in 2009 and has served as principal guest conductor of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Staff positions include those with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Westchester Philharmonic and the Bard Festival, and he has worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Nürnberger Symphoniker and the Ural Philharmonic, with conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Christoph von Dohnányi, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sir Roger Norrington, Valery Gergiev, Paul Dunkel, Leon Botstein, Carl St. Clair, Osmo Vänskä and Leonard Slatkin. His association with Slatkin led to Maestro Mandarano conducting the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. Mark Mandarano holds degrees from Cornell University and the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and he is the Director of Instrumental Music at Macalaster College.